


It's You and It's Me

by orphan_account



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 19:52:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1660469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony x Pepper reunion after The Avengers. Short but sweet. (Minor appearances by Nick Fury and Maria Hill.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's You and It's Me

Maria Hill interrupted shawarma, and Tony’s not sure he can forgive her for that. After SHIELD collected Loki, with the promise of returning him to Thor’s custody after their debriefing, the Avengers were escorted to SHIELD HQ.

“This way”, Maria instructed, leading them through a secured door and down a hall. Tony’s heart leaped when he heard a familiar voice, raised in anger and frustration.

“Pepper”, he breathed. They reached the source of the sound, and they heard the end of the argument as Maria opened the door.

“...care if you have to debrief him! If you don’t tell me where he is, I promise you I will use the full reach of Stark Industries to burn this agency to the ground.”

Tony smiled widely as the door opened and he got a view of Pepper standing in front of Fury’s desk. “That’s my girl.”

Pepper went still, and turned to face him. Her face crumpled as tears gathered in her eyes, and she swept forward. He met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her as she buried her face in his neck. “Are you okay?”, she asked quietly, running her hands down his back. He grinned into her hair. “I’m good.”

They stood wrapped around each other for a few moments, then Pepper pulled back abruptly. She looked angry.

“You called me”, she said, her voice dangerous, and Tony flinched. “You called me, and I didn’t hear my phone, and you disappeared into a hole in the sky.”

“Yeah, about that-”, he started, but she interrupted him.

“Were you calling me because you thought you were going to die?”, she asked accusingly.

Tony cringed, and she hit him in the chest, the metal of her ring hitting the arc reactor with a clang. “You’re not allowed to do that!”

“Call you?”, Tony asked, suddenly incredulous.

“Die!”

Tony’s shoulders slumped as he understood, and he stepped towards her to hug her, but she held her ground, putting up her hands. “I don’t care how many bad guys you fight, or government agencies you work with, or superhero teams you join. It is you, and it is me.” She pointed between them, and held Tony’s gaze. “Do you understand? You do not get to leave me.”

Tony reached for her hand, and held it firmly in his. “I wouldn’t dream of it”, he told her, and her bottom lip trembled. There would be time later for explanations, when he’d tell her what was going through his head as he flew through the wormhole and floated among the stars with her picture flashing in front of him. For now, he would reassure her that he would never want to do that again.

Pepper wiped the stray tear on her cheek away with her free hand and looked over his shoulder at their audience. She sighed delicately, then turned back to Fury. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you Director Fury.”

He nodded. “And you, Ms. Potts.”

Pepper turned to Tony with a small smile. “You have to stay.” Tony pouted. “Director Fury needs to debrief you.”

Tony glared at the man in question. “I thought we didn’t like him. I heard you shouting.”

She ducked her head as a soft blush graced her cheek. “That was before I knew you were okay.” She leaned in to kiss him gently. “Play nice.”

Tony grumbled good-naturedly, and she kissed him again, lingering briefly before pulling away and walking past him. She stopped after a few steps, and looked back past him to Fury. “I meant what I said, Director. Don’t ever try to keep him from me.”

Tony watched her in awe, humbled by her love and her strength. The world saw him as a superhero, but he couldn’t protect anyone if he didn’t have Pepper to protect him.

Fury held her gaze with his good eye. “Understood.” He sounded impressed, and Tony would not be surprised to learn that Fury admired Pepper, no matter how grudgingly.

Pepper smiled at Tony one last time. “I’ll be waiting outside”, she told him, before turning and leaving the room. The door clicked behind her, and the other Avengers looked at Tony expectantly.

“That was Pepper”, he told them with pride.

Fury sighed wearily. “Let’s just get this over with.”


End file.
